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“The doctor confirmed you’re pregnant, baby? At the hospital?”
She nods. “The blood tests they did. I told them I might be.”
Maybe at the look on my face, she puts both of her palms to each of my cheeks. Her skin is ice cold, but her eyes are the opposite.
“What?” she breathes.
“What?”
She smiles and her eyes are watery. “Your eyes—they’re melting into mine.”
“Like chocolate,” I say.
“You happy?”
She gasps when I hold on to her even tighter and then I whoop. I’ve never done anything like it before in my entire fucking life. Or maybe I have. When I was a kid and ma took me to Coney Island for the first time. The rush of it all.
This woman, my Lucila, she’s a rush through my bloodstream. Something I never felt before her. Not even on my first ride. Or the first time my fist slammed into a guy’s face.
Then what happened earlier returns to my thoughts and I start carrying her through the house.
“Where are you taking me?”
I say nothing as I walk us into the dining room and sit her down on a chair. I move it so she’s facing me. I set my hands on each arm of the chair, so she’s caged in. The look on her face turns serious because she’s reading mine. But her hands drift over my skin, and so does the sweet, cool scent from her breath.
Yeah, she knows she has me right where she wants me. And she knows I know it. Just like she got me on a fucking teacup ride because she pouted. But who I am is still ingrained in me. I’m not giving in on this because it’s too important—for her life and for mine.
“You’ve been doing better,” I say. “But you need to eat more. It’s not just you.” I don’t ask for anything, but something inside of me is begging for her not to get sick. For her to grow a healthy appetite that will stick with her for the rest of her life.
“I know,” she whispers. “I’ve been eating, but I guess it’s hasn’t been enough to keep up with what’s going on.”
“I’m going to be around now,” I say. “The gym generates enough income that I don’t have to work at the plant. I’m going to take care of you.”
I’ve never seen Sonny in her before, but I do then. When it seems like a burden has been lifted from her shoulders. But then the set of her face hardens.
“I’ll take care of you, too,” she says.
“You already do.”
“I don’t know what—” She looks away from me for a second before she turns to meet my eyes again. “What do I do?”
“Breathe,” I say, then I turn and pull the pizza in front of her, opening the box. “Eat.”
“Lilo!” she says, moving her face when I try to feed her, laughing. “I can’t eat this entire thing. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” I say. “But you can build up to it. You stop yourself.”
“Honestly?” She sighs. “I don’t want to stop myself right now. I’m not sure if I can. I’m starving. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”
“That’s because Valentinos like to eat.”
Her grin comes slow.
I squeeze her hand. “You don’t ever have to stop yourself from anything you want. The world is yours.”
“Because I’m yours.”
I take her left hand and bring it to my mouth. Then I pull out the ring in my pocket and slip it on her ring finger. It belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to me to give to Lucila. It’s simple. A gold band with a round diamond. But it’s the best quality, worth money. More than that, it has priceless sentimental value.
